


Last piece of the truth

by AsunaFairy



Category: Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart+
Genre: F/M, Father and Son, Love, M/M, Regret, Truth, wizardess heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 08:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5327960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsunaFairy/pseuds/AsunaFairy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unable to hide the truth about Luca's father, Conrad Schuyler accidentally lets it slip that he his Luca's father during an argument, but the situation leads to Luca's own realisation of true and honest love for his girlfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last piece of the truth

Professor Schuyler stood in the center of the classroom, each polished timber desk filled by a girl or boy dressed in the royal-blue uniforms of the academy. It was practical magic theory, a day where theories of magic were taught, much to the boredom of some students that laid head first and fast asleep, drooling from the mouth at the sound of the Professor’s voice.

It was a rare occasion where Luca showed up to class and sat with Asana, his beautiful girlfriend, at the back of the room, his back against the darkened corner and feet resting on the frame of the desk. To Asana, he looked devilishly handsome, his cool demeanour and bad boy antics and the way his clothes represented that character aesthetic: loosely unbuttoned shirt showing off his muscular chest, it was enough to distract her from the lesson Professor Schuyler was giving.

This didn’t go unnoticed to Professor Schuyler. No one but the Headmaster and Asana knew the relationship between himself and Luca, but it was hard not to feel proud that Aulelia’s cherished son was completely besotted and the feelings were reciprocated – he deserved it after all the pain he has had to feel. However, did they have to speak during his lecture!

“Luca and Asana, surely your conversation is more worthy of attention rather than mine, please share?” he glared at them, irritated on the outside but proud on the inside.  
“Why are you picking on us when there are people clearly bored to sleep by the sound of your voice?” Luca’s words came off playful and rebellious to the rest of the class but the underlying tone revealed a much more harsh tone.

Professor Schuyler shot him an unamused glare but inside his heart twisted in immense guilt.

//

After class, Conrad retired to his office and prepared for his night in his role as one of the Three Mages. Letting out a sigh, he looked toward a little wooden chest that sat on top of a shelf in front of the window. The amber glow of the setting sun casted shadows of the orange-glazed miniature treasure chest, mimicking the buried treasure chests sea pirates would sail endlessly in search of, silhouetting the object in an elegant darkness. Sitting inside the chest was Princess Aulelia’s emerald earring that she gifted to her dear friend, and someone he had secretly loved.

The image reminded him of Asana’s answer to what magic had meant to her and had learnt her meaning of magic through Luca… “a light that shined in the darkness, huh?” he fiddled the gem-like earring between his fingers and looked to a photograph of Princess Aulelia, sitting beside the earring.

“I know you want him to be happy, but I have no idea how to make that happen. Forgive me Aulelia, but I am trying to guide him on the right path after all he has been through… but he hates me. Though, that girl… Asana, she’s a good thing for him and I’m certain she can bring his light back,” he spoke to the picture as though he was talking to the Princess herself and in that moment a little breeze, delightful, sweet, gently and with a jasmine fragrance, likely from the vines that curled behind the school’s building, tousled the wisps of his black fringe, it was as though the Princess responded to his words and hugged him tightly.

A knock on the door had startled him and quickly he packaged his precious jewel away, and invited the guest inside. He had asked Asana to meet him after class in his office, but she was late and he didn’t like to be kept waiting.

“You’re late?” he was annoyed at her tardiness.

“Sorry,” she apologised and stood fidgety against the closed door of his office, ensuring space was kept at a comfortable distance, though he noticed and his exterior demeanour presented a careless and negligent expression at her hesitation but inside he didn’t want the girl that was saving Luca to be scared of him.

“I called you in here because I… need your help,” he swallowed his pride, after all he was an independent and capable man that rarely requested the assistance of anybody out of desperation.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she almost stumbled at the sound of his words, thinking maybe she had heard him incorrectly, shaking her head as if the eliminate the imagined words, but he stared at her irritated by her reaction. It was hard enough for him to ask for her help.

“It is rare for me to ask for help, but it is about Luca. You are the person closest to him, and I need to know his mental and emotional health?” he requested her help with his eyes shut.

She remained silent, unsure what to do in this situation. She was well aware of Luca’s true feelings towards Professor Schuyler and the pain he harboured deep inside and the internal scars he’d glance at, and the loneliness he remembers all too well. But, she couldn’t betray him.

“…I’m sorry Professor Schuyler but I can’t tell you such things,” swallowing her fear at his the scary brown eyes staring back at her, she couldn’t betray Luca’s trust. “You must understand that Luca trusts me so as to confide in me, and I do realise you care for him deeply, but this is something that you need to ask him.”

Schuyler didn’t respond and Asana excused herself from his presence. He glanced back over to the chest holding Aulelia’s picture and earring and made a determined decision to become closer to Luca – after all, he had known after a while that Luca was in fact his son, that Aulelia was referring to the man she lost was him as he vowed to become a mage and abandon all other obligations.

The thoughts of that night crossed his mind, the night at the spring ball where he broke the fundamental rule of engaging in acts of love with members of the royal family. He smiled at the thought of that night, and how they had made one incredible and charming son out of moment of passionate and fervent love. Luca certainly had his mother’s personality and appearance but had Schuyler’s stubbornness and innate magical abilities.

//

The following morning, on the first day of the weekend.

Under the shade of the corridors behind the lake, Schuyler enjoyed the pleasantly cool spring air as he watched Luca and Asana frolic under the sun and around the garden. Headmaster Randolph had sneaked to Conrad’s side, catching the usual frowning and straight-laced Professor grinning like a fool.

“I can see how much you hate yourself Conrad, but the relationship between the two of you is not going to become better if you idle by and not talk to him,” his old and good friend was a wise man, having eternal life earns its wisdom.

“I never meant to bring him pain, but I do care for him as he is the innocent victim in this tragic story. However, I feel tremendous guilt for having to lock him away and the only reason why he has light back into his eyes again is because of that girl, right there. She’s undoing the damage so many people, including myself, has caused – a light that shines in the darkness, rather a light that helped him escape the darkness,” Conrad had always felt comfortable in exposing his true feelings to a man he absolutely trusted and had allowed Luca to enroll in the academy.

“Conrad, you are that boy’s father, despite that he doesn’t know that detail, you are still an enormous and important figure in his life, and I can see that he is grateful that you only tried to protect him from a man, his own flesh and blood that rejected him and wanted him to be terminated, and kept him by your side all these years, even if you were a country away. Perhaps, take little steps in growing closer to him,” at that moment a splash of water in the distance could be heard and the two professors saw two students crash into the lake.

Luca had pushed Asana into the water as a joke and when lending his hand to her, he was pulled into the water. Water drops sprayed like rain on the surface of the lake and over the green grass, and the two were drenched but hysterical with laughter at their childish fun. Headmaster Randolph chuckled at the youth, but Conrad turned away, retreating to his office his arms folded in shame and sorrow over the internal torture he was feeling.

//

Later that evening, Luca had unleashed havoc across the academy – albeit, something he hadn’t done in a while – he had used his magic to create a potion that caused a few guinea pigs to start verbally fighting in the corridor, and a fight between young wizards was always going to end up in a massive clean-up. Asana surely was not happy because as Luca’s buddy she had to help clean up after the fight, sharing the same fate, while he was chewed out by Schuyler.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had to have a talk like this with you,” Schuyler’s voice was quite calm but vexed. “Why?”

“Experimenting,” his playful personality was charming and it reminded Schuyler of how eccentric Aulelia used to be, she once used her magic to cover the walls in multi-coloured paints, and the exact reason she gave her parents – experimenting.

“… *sigh* Well, it isn’t as bad as all the other stunts you’ve pulled around here, Asana certainly grounded you…” he sighed once more and looked out at the amber glow casting light of the treasure chest once more, reminding him of that phrase Asana learnt from Luca… a light in the darkness.

“Wait a sec? You aren’t mad at me?” Luca’s wide emerald eyes shined just as his mother’s did when she looked surprised and that made Schuyler smile.

“It is your way of acting out, right? … For a long time you were kept in the dark and now you have a sense of freedom, but a freedom with no boundaries because you were never taught them,” another sighed escaped his lips and he slouched back into his office chair. “…Though, you remind me of your mother, I’m glad you possess more of her qualities than your father.”

“…Don’t. Don’t speak of her,” Luca clearly wasn’t in the mood to discuss the matter and although he wanted to learn more about his mother, the pain of loneliness and the memories of being caged dominated his thoughts.

“I am… concerned for you, Luca,” his tone bellowed to a more father-like voice – warm, nurturing but crisp and strong. “I understand that you have resentment towards me and the way I had treated you, but I want you to understand that I will always do everything in my power to ensure the happiness your mother wanted you to have, and I am trying my hardest to guide you toward a more fruitful future —”.

“Shut up!” Luca’s eyes narrowed to a serious gaze. “Why are you trying to act like my father? You aren’t him! My mother died of a broken heart and my father is god knows where, and you, the man that locked me away, as if I was an animal, for fifteen years, wants to earn my love and respect and my trust. You didn’t have to lock me away, you didn’t have to keep the truth from me for so long, and are you forgetting that you were prepared to almost kill me yourself to keep that truth from me!”

Before Luca even realised it, he had let Schuyler in on almost all of his inner feelings and thoughts about the situation, like a firecracker ignited and erupted. Schuyler’s heart twisted with agony, he nearly did kill his own son trying to protect him from ever finding out a painful truth, and the last twist in truth couldn’t be concealed any longer.

Schuyler felt a pressure building in his throat, and tried desperately to supress it, but as Luca continued to shout and yell at the painful life he had been through, the pressure blurted the words – “LUCA! I AM SORRY, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG I HAVE HATED THE FACT THAT I’VE PUT MY ONLY SON THROUGH HELL ALL BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YOU FROM BEING MURDERED BY YOUR GRANDFATHER!”

Luca stepped back catching the word ‘son’ in the middle of Schuyler’s desperate apology. His eyes widened and narrowed once more, and in a breathless shock he spoke “…son?”  
Realising Schuyler could no longer hide the truth from Luca, he thought it best just to admit it once and for all, his voice a lot calmer at the astonishment of his long held secret, though rolling off a weight of tension.

“Yes, I am your father, Luca… The man your mother was speaking about was me. Knowing we could never be together, I accepted the job as one of the Three Mages and Professor to the academy and it never dawned on me that the child she was carrying, you, was in fact mine. It was long waited realization, perhaps I wanted it not to be true, but when she trusted me with your health and well-being it hit me right then, you were mine… I am unbelievably and tremendously sorry Luca,” his guilt had reached breaking point and Conrad struggled to meet Luca’s gaze.

“Why did you never tell me?!” Luca was furious but somehow composed.

“Because… I am ashamed. Ashamed, not of you, but of the way I had treated you, and you are right, I didn’t have to lock you up but the fear of losing you was more than I could handle. I lost your mother, and I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to you and the more I hid you from your grandfather, the better chances you were of surviving,” Schuyler bowed his head in shame and an awkward silence arrested the atmosphere.

Luca had no idea how to feel… Furious? Sad? Content? There was a torrent of emotions swirling inside and his bodily respond was to stand still and blankly stare at the man in black sitting before him – scary Professor Conrad Schuyler was his father, they shared the same genes, the same blood! Perhaps, deep down, Luca knew, like his instincts had told him that his father was right before his eyes, but never had the nerve to confirm the hunch – and now here was the confession and he couldn’t comprehend it at all.

Schuyler broke the silence. “Asana… I am happy that you found her because she is undoing the damage I and many others have caused you, she brings you a light and a new lease on life that you never had before and I hope that you don’t do something to screw it up. Also, your mother would have loved her, especially knowing that she makes you truly happy…,” he paused, deep in thought, clenching his fist against his chest and let out another despondent sigh “…don’t ever let that go, ever, okay?”

This was almost uncharacteristic of Schuyler, opening up so honestly and boldly to the one person he had wanted to all this time. Saying all his shattered heart could say he remained silent and waited for Luca’s response and reaction … and whatever that may be, Schuyler was prepared for it. He felt as though Luca wanted to punch him, and he couldn’t blame Luca, but Luca composed himself, despite his fury and slammed his fist on the desk before storming out of the office and slamming the door shut.

Luca trudged along the pavement and found Asana sweeping leaves and unpleasant dust off the usually clean walk way. Despite all that had just been revealed, the only thing that was going through his mind was that he had to see her and Schuyler’s voice, his father’s desperate and regretful voice, begging Luca not to screw up this relationship, and he was right. Losing Asana would be a unbearable pain he wouldn’t be able to recover from, and she was his light that now shined in the darkness, illuminating his future.

She was his future, and, in a weird way, despite being born a prince, his illegitimate claim to royalty insists that his future will involve his country bumpkin girlfriend, and they could pursue that relationship with no worry or thought about titles. It was a sort of silver lining in a terrible tragedy. Thinking that way, he gently grasped her cheeks and passionately attacked her lips, her body shocked, surprised but melting in the unexpected act of love.


End file.
